Members are throughout the country

Welcome to The Grand Priory of Knights Templar in the United Kingdom

We are an interdenominational association of active Christians, with both clergy and lay members from all walks of life. Our Order follows the highest chivalric ideals of the medieval Order of Knights Templar which was founded by Hugh de Payens in 1119, but we make no claims to be direct inheritors of their noble history. Ours is a modern Order, built on fundraising and charitable activities which aims to improve society as a whole, not only in England and Wales but in the global community of which we are but a small part.

We belong to a much large international association - OSMTH. This umbrella organisation is recognised as a Non Governmental Organisation in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. OSMTH is the only Templar organisation to have this recognition and we work very hard to maintain this status with our national and international activities, with a primary focus on the traditional lands where the original Templars operated. Click the link at the bottom of this page for the OSMTH website.

We are proud that the Grand Priory of Knights Templar in the United Kingdom (often abbreviated to GPUK in this site) supports two charitable Trusts: The Templar Pilgrimage Trust (a separately registered Charity) and The Templar Heritage Trust (operating as part of the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF)). There are links below to these two worthy causes.

The Grand Priory welcomes membership enquiries, and you can find information on applying for by following the link at the top of this page. Membership is open to professed Christians over the age of eighteen, who are prepared to follow the Modern Rule (also available on this website) as a guide and focus for their lives. We expect our Members to take an active role not only in the Grand Priory activities, but also in their local communities, wherever possible. If, for whatever reason, applicants cannot meet our requirements for full membership, consider becoming a "Friend of the Order". We are very proud of our Friends and the work they do, and their fellowship and attendance at local and national events.

Feel free to visit our various pages. These will continue to expand, and there will always be something new to read.